Curious Roots and Insperation

Analytical_Owl(7a)September 1, 2013

An interesting find:

In the month of June, I found this sugar maple (Acer saccharum) growing out of an old neglected pot. It was on my friends property, surrounded by other forgotten pots which seemed to be the remnants of a long ago forgotten love of things that grow from the Earth; with the local plant-life slowly filling the now vacant niches.

This sugar maple's odd roots intrigued me. I asked my friend for its ownership, with the intention of using it for experimentation and a possible source of inspiration.

Here are some pictures of said roots:

This first image is of the intended front.

And here is an image of the intended back.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts on this root structure. What is your reaction? Would you have chosen it to work with? If yes or no, why? What would you do with this structure? And of course, all other comments or questions are highly encouraged.

The following are my current feelings and ideas, which I also want to hear your thoughts on.

My concerns:

The root marked by the red arrow has grown back toward the trunk on a very direct path. This is a trait I generally avoid, or change; and would like to change with this tree. However, I would still like to hear any arguments against this practice.

This process involves gradually fusing the root to the trunk at the points indicated by the green line. Fusion of the two could be done with fusing techniques or grafting techniques. The red lines mark where the root must be severed to complete this solution.
This solution might help balance the trees roots in a side to side manner. When viewed from the front, pre-correction, the left side of the trunk seems to be buried in the soil. All of the nebari is to the left of the trunk, creating an imbalance.

Solution 2.

This process involves redirecting the roots growth into a new direction. Using different techniques, the root will eventually take on a more desired direction; almost mimicking an alternating branch. The root would be bent downwards to match the mirroring root on the front side.
This would create balance fully on the left side, when viewed from the front. There are roots on the right side, which are hidden under the soil. Layering techniques might also be used to achieve new roots on the right side.